Uniqlo ‘discriminates’ against Chinese shoppers for offering sale prices only in Japan: state-run tabloid
China’s state-run tabloid Global Times has protested a sale campaign by the Japanese clothing brand Uniqlo because the lower prices are not being offered to shoppers in mainland China.
The brand’s mother company, The Fast Retailing Group, announced on Thursday that prices would drop by 9% at its stores in Japan from Mar. 12, as a measure of support for families and companies suffering hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chinese netizens quickly asked whether the sale would include Uniqlo’s stores in China. But Uniqlo China announced that prices would drop only in Japan because of Japanese government policies: no sales were planned outside of Japan.
Global Times protested against the decision, accusing Fast Retailing of discrimination against overseas consumers.
Out of Uniqlo’s 2,298 stores globally, 815 are in Japan and 791 are in China, the newspaper noted. The Chinese market accounts for 54% of Uniqlo’s overseas revenue, and has a profit margin 14.4% higher than in Japan.
The report quoted a Chinese consumer who said China should be included in the sale because it is Uniqlo’s largest overseas market.
Another Chinese consumer told Global Times that he would stop buying from Uniqlo unless China was offered a similar sale.
The Uniqlo sale was among the top search items on the Weibo social media site on Thursday.
A report carried by the Economic Weekly magazine noted an increase in Uniqlo prices in China. It said cheap products selling for 79 yuan (US$12) and 99 yuan, once common in Chinese stores, are no longer available. They have been replaced by more expensive products at 799 yuan and 1,299 yuan, it said.
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